Sunday, April 12, 2009

Rear Window (1954)

Jimmy Stewart plays a photographer who is stuck at home due to injuries he suffered trying to get a picture of an automobile race. To pass the time, Stewart stares out the window looking in the neighborhood apartments. He sees that one of the neighbors has been acting suspicious and his wife has disappeared. Stewart is positive that this man killed his own wife and Stewart must prove that his theory is correct.

To prove his theory, Stewart has help from his girlfriend and nurse. Grace Kelly plays his girlfriend and she is fantastic in this film. Her enthusiasm to find out the truth behind this accused man makes her such a likeable character. Stewart is also great in the film. Every word Stewart says is interesting. Very few actors can do that, in my opinion.

I thought it was very interesting to see the worlds of the neighborhood characters through the eyes of Stewart. It was a very creative way to show them. Spying on your neighbors is like slowing down to see a car crash. You know you shouldn't enjoy it, but you can't help it. You need to know what happened. Coincidentally, being too close to a car crash is what got Stewart stuck in this situation in the first place. I really think an audience can relate in this way. It is human to be nosy.

One of the best things about Hitchcock movies is the use of humor along with suspense. He really knows how to do this well and it is evident in the dialogue in this film. One minute you are on the edge of your seat and the next you are laughing. Hitchcock was great at achieving this.

I had never seen this film before and it actually took me for a loop. I was in suspense, not knowing whether this man killed his wife or not. I must be honest that it did not end the way that I thought it would. The ending was extremely thrilling.

"Rear Window" is one of Hitchcock's best. Excellent acting, direction, script, set design, and so on... I have yet to be disappointed by a Hitchcock film.

2 comments:

Hi Robert, I just discovered your blog this morning. Oh, and I must say, this movie is one of my favorites, and Jimmy my favorite actor. By the way, I've never seen this poster of "Rear Window" before. Very cool. And enjoyed reading some of other your recent reviews; you have very good taste in movies! It was nice to visit, and keep up the great posts! -- Tom